Untitled
by Retse
Summary: Harry's the BoyWhoLived. William is his older brother, James is alive and together the two try and protect Harry from the world. Even if they hate each other. Unspoiled!Harry, OverprotectiveBrother!William, OverprotectiveFather!James, OCs alert and slash
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: J.K. Rowling owns Harry Potter. I only wish I could say the same. Please don't sue me. Thank you.

Summary: Harry's the Boy-Who-Lived. William is his older brother, James is still alive and together the two try and protect Harry from the world. Even if they hate each others guts.

Featuring: Unspoiled!Harry, OverprotectiveBrother!William, OverprotectiveFather!James, OCs Alert and slash! Oh and incest-which-isn't-actually-incest for a sub-plot... bet you want to know what that's about :P

A.N. Just a little project that I wanted to see what the response would be... I haven't seen anyone write something like this yet (the sibling is always spoiled or someone is neglected or something or other...) so I thought I'd give it a try. Ocs abound cause there ain't enough people the same year as Will that I can pick out from canon... either that or I don't think they're cool enough haha...

If anyone would like to take this idea off me and run with it, go ahead :D just remember to give me a heads up so I can read it XD

**Untitled** (I couldn't even **begin** to try and name this fic... gah...)

_Groggy eyes stared upwards with slight uncomprehending, __**Why am I looking at the ceiling? I don't remember going to bed yet...**__ the little boy wondering, arms strangely feeling like they were made of lead._

_Cobalt eyes suddenly widened in realisation, __**That Yoo-Hoo guy mum and dad always talk about! He found us!**__ N__ot giving any thought to how the Dark Lord had done so for the moment, he jumped to his feet as fast as his heavy legs would let him and, seeing no sight of his mother nor his baby brother in the living room, he sprang up the stairs two steps at a time._

"_No! Not my baby...!"_

_**Mum! Harry! They're in trouble!**__ The boy thought frantically as he hurried to where he heard her voice._

"_Step aside girl!" shouted an unfamiliar voice._

_**That must be the Yoo-Hoo guy! I've got to do something! I can't let him hurt my mum or Harry!**__ He tried opening the door but unfortunately it seemed to be locked from the inside and he didn't know how to do any magic yet! He tried banging on it, hoping desperately he'd somehow be able to get in. __**Damn it! Where's dad when you need him?!**_

"_Leave them alone!" he shouted through the wooden door, fists unrelenting, "Leave my mum and my brother alone you... you... __**bastard!**__"_

_The occupants of the room fell silent for a moment._

"_Well," the Dark Lord sneered at the frightened woman before him, "Looks like I missed someone on the way in. No matter, I'll deal with him after I'm done with you two."_

"_No! Don't you dare hurt him! He's only a child!" she screamed back at him, grip tightening around the wailing baby in her arms._

"_I'm afraid you don't really have a choice in this. For you see, you'll be dead. Goodbye, mudblood. Goodbye, baby Potter," he smiled eerily at them as he aimed his wand at the mother frantically trying to cover her baby, "__**Avada Kedavra.**__"_

"_NO!" the little boy standing just outside shouted, echoing that of his mothers, the sickening thud that followed ricocheting in his mind, "No..."_

"_Don't worry little boy, just your baby brother to go and you'll be soon joining them."_

_Aghast, the boy resumed his banging with renewed vigour, tears starting to stream down his face, __**no... NO!!**__ Suddenly a light burst from within his hands and the door flew open, the little boy tumbling in at the unexpected change. He quickly pushed himself back up but it was too late..._

"_**Avada Kedavra**__," the black-robed man intoned casually, wand this time aimed directly at the crying baby._

_Cobalt eyes stared in horror as the green beam of light hurtled towards the baby still wrapped within the arms of the unmoving Lily Potter, glowing emerald eyes staring unseeingly ahead, "Harry!"_

_Blood red eyes watched with glee at the soon-defeat of the prophesised threat to his glorious reign only to snap shut as, as soon as the curse reached its target, a blinding light filled the room. The wizard once known as Tom Riddle, shrieked in agony as pain laced through every fibre of his body. _

_For the little boy, shielding his eyes, he watched in awe as soul of the person who had killed his mum seemed to be ripped from its physical body before it burst into flame, leaving the soul to flap around in the air. The boy hurriedly rushed forward, drawing his baby brother into his arms protectively and away from the growing fire. With one last dismayed look at the hollow shell of his mum, he streaked out of the room and tore down the stairs._

"_Lily?! Lily where are you?!" a male voice yelled frantically._

"_Dad!" the boy called out; grateful to hear that familiar voice though angry the older man hadn't been here earlier when his family had needed him._

_From that day on, Harry James Potter was declared the Boy-Who-Lived, the wizarding world was at peace once more and young William Romulus Potter, with his icy cobalt stare, harboured a deep unrelenting __**grudge**__ towards his __**father**_

_A grudge that was surprisingly matched only by that James felt towards the eldest Potter child, though if you were to ask him why, his solitary reply would be a disgusted sneer..._

-

"Merlin knows I've tried to raise you right but you've turned out to be nothing but a disappointment!" the man shouted, pacing the room in an agitated manner, "Slytherin! I can't believe you got sorted into Slytherin! Ravenclaw I could have understood with Moony's influence but Slytherin! And the ones you've made friends with – Death Eater Spawn the lot of them! You would have been better off renouncing that house and come straight home! And don't give me that look! I've had enough of your attitude! I've had enough of **you**! Why can't you be more like your brother?! Are you even listening to me?!"

The eldest Potter child casually flicked his braid over his shoulder in an act of disinterest as he stared into the fireplace as if it held the answers to the universe.

The youngest Potter could practically swear on his life that steam was coming out of his fuming dad's ears and that his head was rapidly turning into a tomato, not that he would mention it of course. As much as he liked making his older brother laugh (it wasn't too hard to imagine his dad's wide-eyed shocked expression if he mentioned it and his brother cackling in the background at the look), he liked living even more thank-you-very-much.

"**THAT'S IT! GO TO YOUR ROOM! YOU'RE GROUNDED AND YOU ARE NOT TO LEAVE THAT ROOM UNTIL YOU GO BACK TO HOGWARTS OR UNLESS I SAY SO!**" James Potter bellowed, thrusting his arm out aggressively and pointing towards William's room, "**NO OWLS OR HOUSE ELVES EITHER!**"

Cobalt eyes only rolled derisively in response and the lean first year student gracefully lifted himself out of the couch and strode swiftly towards his room, shutting the door with a soft click.

Poor little Harry, stuck in the middle, glanced uncertainly between his father and older brother. While arguments involving the two were practically commonplace in the Potter household, nonetheless, it hurt for him to have to watch his family be at such odds with each other. He loved them both and hated to have to choose between the two. This time was no different; should he join his brother in his room or stay down here with his dad?

Thankfully, the choice was taken out of his hands when James grunted rather brusquely that he was going over to Uncle Sirius and Uncle Remus' house, tossing some powder in the fireplace and leaving without a goodbye through the floo.

As fast as he could without thundering up the stairs, Harry hurried over to his brother's bedroom door. Tentatively, he knocked twice and gently pushed the door in, poking his head inside once the gap was big enough.

His brother was seated at his desk, scribbling rapidly on a piece of parchment, tensing visibly when the door creaked open, ice-cold cobalt eyes turning to stare into Harry's emerald ones.

And then they softened.

William raised his hand towards his baby brother in a welcoming gesture and Harry, not wasting a single moment, rushed forward into his brother's embrace, hugging the older Potter tightly.

William wrapped his arms around Harry comforting, resting his chin lightly on the smaller head pressed against his chest and mumbling into the black locks of his brother's hair, "It's not your fault..." and then... "I'm sorry..."

Harry simply tightened his grip further.

-

Platform 9¾ bustled with activity once again as close-to-tears parents bid farewell to their eye-rolling children, hopping eagerly onto the train as soon as they could extract themselves from their mother's death grip.

For little Harry James Potter, among multiple others, this year would be his first year at Britain's most prestigious magic school, Hogwarts, and the first year away from the constant presence of his overprotective dad.

...Into the constant care of his overprotective brother. Harry resisted urge to sigh loudly, _at least they'll be only one of them at the one time. As much as I love them, seriously, it gets annoying..._

Apart from their physical appearance, constantly bearing over the youngest Potter's shoulder was the only other trait the other two Potter men shared.

"Dad, I'll be okay. Will will be there to look after me," Harry tried to measure his dad's response to that. ...Yep, it was the absolutely wrong thing to say. It was times like this he hated being a Potter; why couldn't he have inherited his mother's thinking-before-speaking-attitude instead?

"I wouldn't count on that," James said growled softly, eyes narrowing at his oldest son who silently glared back at him defiantly, "Slytherin and Gryffindor have long been rivals, the snakes would have nothing to do with a lion and vice versa. Doing otherwise would just cause you problems with your house that I think you would prefer to avoid."

Before Harry could argue another voice cut in, "James! Don't say that! What would Lily think if she heard you spouting anti-Slytherin sentiments again?"

"But Moony..." Sirius whined, "It's all true!"

"Shut up, Sirius. Not all Slytherins are bad," the werewolf snapped, rolling his eyes at the other two marauders' mock-gasps in shock, "Don't listen to your dad, Harry. Its true there's a rivalry but that's no reason to let it get between you and brother. Plus anyway, what's to say you won't get sorted into Slytherin yourself?" James and Sirius sputtered and protested madly at this; Remus merely ignored them, "Enjoy your first year at Hogwarts, Harry, study hard, listen to your professors and stay out of trouble. You too, Will, and be sure to look after yourself as much as I'm certain you will look after your brother," he said, moving forward to give both boys a tight hug, "And say hello to Severus for me will you?"

Will nodded before taking his little brother's hand, tugging his gently towards the train. The boys made their way back to compartment where they had left their trunks, Harry taking the chance to wave at his dad and godparents goodbye out the window while Will pulled out a potions book from within his trunk.

As the train departed from the train station, Harry sat back down and stared quizzically at his older brother. Feeling the stare, Will looked up from his book and raised his eyebrow in question.

"I was just wondering where your friends are. Should we go look for them?"

"Don't worry about them Harry, they know you're coming to Hogwarts and that I would stay with you. Once they're done with their socialising with the other purebloods, they will come look for me. Though... you should probably walk around a bit. Make a few friends before we get to the castle."

Harry shook his head in disagreement, "Nah, I can do that later, I'd rather stay here with you and meet your friends."

The two boys stared at each other for a second before dark cobalt eyes softened and the third year graced the younger boy with a rare smile.

"Oh, be still my beating heart! Is that a smile that adorns my love's face? And what a smile it is! What I would do to have it focused on me," said the tall red-haired boy who flung open the door, shattering the glass as it slammed against the wall in the process, "But alas! Who is this who has usurped my love's affection? En garde you scoundrel!" he shouted, waving his wand flamboyantly at Harry. Stunned, the emerald eyed boy turned his gaze towards his brother, eyebrows shooting into his fringe at the sight of Will dropping his head into his hands very un-Will-like with an audible groan.

A laughter broke in as a second red-head stepped inside, a twin of the first, "Me thinks your declarations are none appreciated, oh brother my brother," he said, fixing the broken pane of glass with a flick of his wand.

Will refrained from the urge to snort derisively and instead opted to stand and place a hand on Harry's shoulder, "Harry, these are the Weasley twins. Do not, under any circumstance, eat or even **touch **anything they give you," both Weasleys gasped, placing a hand over their 'aching' hearts from that 'callous' introduction, "Weasleys, this is my brother Harry. Do anything... **'untoward'** to him and be prepared to suffer the painful consequences," he intoned impassively.

"Oh?"

"What sort-"

"-of consequences?"

"What? And ruin the surprise?" the Slytherin crooned icily, eyes devoid of emotion as he smirked maniacally at them, sending shivers down their spines.

"Haha... Right, of course," Fred laughed nervously at the look.

"We would never think of-"

"-doing anything like that."

"Especially to a first year!"

"In fact, we'll help deal out punishments-"

"-to anyone who'd even dared look at him in the wrong way."

"And to further show our good will-"

"-we'd even throw in a bodyguard!" they finished together with a flourish, dragging inside another red-head.

"Oy! What are you two knuckleheads doing! Le' go!"

"Messrs Potter and Potter."

"Let us introduce to you our youngest brother Ronniekins."

"Who will also be joining Hogwarts as a first year!"

"A pleasure," Will drawled.

But Ron Weasley didn't pay any attention to the Slytherin, instead opted to stare at the emerald eyed boy next to him, "Blimey! Aren't you-?"

"Yes," interrupted an annoyed Harry.

"And you have the-?"

"Yes," Harry said trying not to snap, flipping his fringe briefly to reveal his lightning bolt scar, only humouring the other boy because he was the brother of Will's friends.

Ron didn't seem to notice, "Wow...!"

Correctly deciphering Will's growing frown, the Weasley twins hurriedly pushed their little brother back out the door, "Well, we're still working on it."

"Hey! What are you-?!" Ron protested.

"But be sure that we will return-"

"-with a much more improved model."

"The perfect companion for young Harry!"

"And seeing how happy Harry will be with his new friend-"

"Maybe you'll reconsider my offer," George finished with a cheeky grin.

Before Will could reply, someone outside snorted. A tall blonde pushed his way inside, dragging in another blonde behind him, "Dream on Weasleys. Why would Harry want to be friends with a brain-dead fanboy like your brother?" he sneered at them before turning to the Potter brothers with a beauticious smile on his face, showing off his perfect rows of teeth.

Will looked to the heavens for patience while Harry was subconsciously reminded of a lion eyeing up his prey.

"Let me introduce myself, brother of my **best** **friend** or in other words, not a wannabe like the two idiots behind me," the twins made to argue but he waved them off with a nonchalant you've-had-your-chance wave, "I am Quinton Ense Vaisey but you may call me Quill as you're brother does ("See? Will even gave me a nickname unlike you two!" he added smugly as a side-note to the twins and in particular, the pouting George). Beside me is my cousin, Draco Malfoy, who will also be attending Hogwarts as a first year. Say hello Draco," he said, nudging the shorter boy forward.

Poor little Draco was very disgruntled at that moment. He had been talking to his friends when he was dragged unceremoniously half way through the train by his cousin. The older boy had told him that they were going to meet someone that Draco was going to make friends with and, as he had no choice in this, he'd do well to come up with a good way of introducing himself as he had been taught to. Staring at the other eleven year old before him, he realised the person his cousin was talking about was none other than Harry Potter, the Boy-Who-Lived.

Remembering his father's orders to befriend the youngest Potter, he supposed he should thank his cousin. However, between trying to stay upright and not crashing into anyone, it did not leave him time to spare to work on his cousin's advice. Seeing the other boy's expectant gaze, Draco quickly thought to his father's teachings, "My father told me all the Weasleys have red hair, freckles, and more children than they can afford... You'll soon find out some wizarding families are much better than others, Potter. You don't want to go making friends with the wrong sort. I can help you there," he said, holding out his hand to Harry.

This got him various reactions which Draco found quite baffling and a tad upsetting; the Potter siblings looked at him incredulously, his cousin Quinton choked disbelievingly, the Weasley twins guffawed loudly while their brother glared at him angrily.

"I can't believe it! With a line like that-"

"I'm surprised Malfoy can make any friends at all!" the twins said when they finally calmed down.

"Probably bribed them all," Ron said snidely. The twins started laughing uproariously again, slapping their brother on his back good-naturedly as they did so.

Draco flushed angrily and opened his mouth to insult them back but stopped when his cousin gestured to him to not to. With a huff the platinum blonde stalked past the Potters and sat down, staring out the window moodily with his arms crossed against his chest.

Quill shook his head in disbelief, wondering what exactly his pseudo-uncle was teaching his son, before turning his gaze back to his best friend and his brother, intent on doing some damage control in the eyes of Harry. Wouldn't do for his best friends' brother to dislike him now would it? But before he could say a single word, a surprised shout cut in.

"You're Slytherins!" Ron Weasley cried in horror, only just noticing the green ties and the Slytherin crest adorning the black robes of both Will and Quill.

"...You're point?"

"But- but... Fred and George...," the red-head stammered, "The Potters are a Light family..."

"...And?" Quill gleefully asked, recognising all too well where this was going.

"And- and... Slytherins are EVIL!"

_Minus a hundred points for Weasley,_ the blonde thought with soft giggles, rewarding him a knowing look from Will.

"WHAT?!" Harry shouted angrily making most of the people in the compartment jump; _it was one thing to get that from dad..._ "My brother is not evil! How dare you! You- you... **poor** **excuse** **for** **animal** **refuse**!"

Jaws dropped open and his brother sent him an amused look but he ignored those for the moment as he stalked up to Draco, who had turned back to look at the show. Harry thrust his hand out which Draco took as he looked up at him in surprise, "I'm sorry I doubted you about the wrong sort of people. I'd be honoured to be your friend Draco," he said, smiling at the blonde brightly.

-

The rest of the train ride went by relatively uneventfully. The group of seven were soon joined by Will and Quill's other two Slytherin friends – the tall black-haired half Chinese half English male KangXi Fortiori and the tiny brunette female Requiescat Inparce, affectionately known as Shi and Reks respectively – and the Weasley twins' friend Lee Jordan – complete with his arachnid-in-a-box, resulting in a high-pitched shriek from Ron and a round of laughter. The only disturbance was the brief appearance of a frizzy-haired first year muggleborn who talked a mile an hour. The youngest three boys all hope they wouldn't be sorted in the same house as the brown-haired witch, not wishing for their ears to be talked off, while the older students looked at each other and thought as one, "Ravenclaw."

When the train pulled into Hogsmeade station, the group stepped out as one, pulling many weird looks at the strange combination of Slytherin and Gryffindor, older and younger. With some reassurances (and some horror stories about the sorting from the twins), the group split – the first years down to the lake and the third years to their thestral-drawn carriages.

Leaving the Weasleys and Jordan to find another carriage (much to George's displeasure), Will stepped inside the first, joined by his three Slytherin friends.

"So... What house do you think Harry will be sorted into?" Quill asked curiously as the carriage left the station.

"Gryffindor," Will replied without pause. Seeing the quizzical looks on his friends' faces, he elaborated, "Not Ravenclaw nor Hufflepuff because, while they're attributes that Harry possess, they are greatly surpassed by how well he would fit into Slytherin and Gryffindor. And Slytherin... well..." His friends knew all too well what Will was going to say. James reaction to a Slytherin sorting would not be pleasant, beloved son or not. The father would no doubt feel greatly betrayed, "In any case, Harry knows I don't care which house he gets sorted into."

"Gryffindor it is then," Quill nodded, a little put-out by the fact.

"It is also safer this way," Reks added softly.

Will nodded in agreement, "Too many Slytherins would see Harry as a threat – both as the downfall of the Dark Lord and a Potter."

Quill fell silent at that. Will, seeing his friend's sudden change in mood, he nudged the blonde beside him lightly with elbow and gave him a look. Quill smiled softly in response.

Reks beamed happily, mood seemingly doing a complete turnabout at the exchange, "Aww! How sweet! What cute couple you two are!" she crooned at them, "Don't you think so Shi-chan?"

Shi merely grunted, dark eyes not lifting from the book in his hand.

"See, even Shi-chan agrees!"

Will and Quill looked at her with disgust, "Merlin, no! You need to cut down on the yaoi manga, Reks. You're hallucinating, seeing boy-love in places it most certainly does **not** exist. Anyway, that was a 'no' grunt! Shi understands that Will and I see each other as **brothers**, you know, **platonically**," Quill vehemently argued.

"Yeah, plus everyone knows Quill is obsessed with Professor Snape anyway," Will casually added his two cents.

The blonde spluttered incredulously at his friend, face turning red.

"It will be hard," Shi suddenly added. The other three looked at him blankly for a moment before realising that the tallest boy was steering them back to the more important matter at hand.

"Yes," Reks agreed, "while most will probably not care, there **will** be some opposed to you associating with your brother if he is sorted into Gryffindor."

"Can't be any worse than associating with some Weasleys," Quill joked.

Reks smiled, "True, but Harry is the Boy-Who-Lived and a Slytherin associating with the saviour of the wizarding world is a whole lot different than a Slytherin and a pair of decidedly Slytherin Gryffindors. Plus, Will, no doubt you'll be spending a lot more time with your brother than you ever have with the twins. The 'traditionalists' aren't going to just sit back with sneers on their face anymore..."

Will shrugged, "Let them snipe, I'll deal with it as it comes and I'll enlist the help of the Weasleys to deal with the Gryffindor counterparts. I won't let **anyone** come between me and my brother."

-

Meanwhile, Harry stepped anxiously into a small boat with Draco, Ron (though they were glaring at each menacingly as they did so) and another boy he hadn't seen in a while, "Neville!"

"Heya, Harry," the small brunette smiled.

"How've you been? I didn't see you on the train! I would've come and found you but you know how my brother is. Wouldn't let me out of his sight," Harry chattered happily.

"Haha, yes, I know. I was walking around looking for you when I realised Trevor had escaped again. A girl offered to help me," Neville flushed a little red, "And she wouldn't listen to a word I said! When I said tried to say I had some friends who could probably summon Trevor for me she completely ignored me and sent me down the other side of the train to search for it. The side I had already looked!"

Harry bit back his laughter while Draco snorted. Ron, however, had a look of growing realisation on his face, "She wouldn't happen to have frizzy-brown hair, this really bossy nature and talks like... like... **crazy**, would she?" he said, flailing his arms around at the word crazy for added effect.

"Yeh, she did," the brunette replied grimly as memories of the encounter came to the forefront of his mind once more.

"Blimey! We met her too, didn't we mates? She's like a hurricane!"

Even Draco joined in the solemn nodding at that exclamation.

"Careful Ron, she might hear you."

The red-head paled at that and spun around to see where the boat containing a certain witch was. He sighed in relief when he found her chattering away to some other students several boats away. The other boys sniggered at him.

Ron pouted at them but his annoyance disappeared when he saw something in the distance, "Hey look!" he pointed, "I can see the castle!"

Harry stared in awe at the magnificent castle. It was more amazing than what his brother and his dad had described to him. It seemed to reach into the heavens, low flying clouds winding around its archaic turrets. At its base, a seemingly never-ending sea of green stretched towards the dark forbidding forest in the background. He was finally here.

-

Then finally... "Potter, Harry!"

Whispers broke out immediately, people leaning past others trying to get a good look at the Boy-Who-Lived and pointing rudely at him as they gossiped to their friends. Harry ignored them as he had been taught, opting instead to take this chance to get a look at the head table. Professor Sprout, Professor Flitwick, Headmaster Dumbledore and a few others he recognised from his brother's descriptions but they weren't the focus of his search however, instead he looked further down the table. Professor Snape. An enigmatic man, he was the one who had taken his older brother under his wing and, subsequently, many times the centre of his brother and dad's arguments. The man himself stared back at him, though without the malice as one would expect from his dad's rival, only a slight curiosity. No doubt Harry had his brother to thank for that.

Carefully placing the Sorting Hat upon his head, he waited patiently for his house to be called out.

_Ah, Mr. Potter. I was wondering when you would finally come place me upon your head once more,_ the Hat mentally spoke to him.

Harry's eyebrows knitted in confusion, _once more? But this is the first time I've been Sorted..._

_Nothing is as you believe, my boy, but here is not the place to speak of this. Now is the time of your sorting...Where do you wish to be placed?_

Harry felt confused, more and more questions welling up in his mind, _What do you mean by that? When __**can**__ we speak of it? And why did you ask me what house? Aren't you the one who does the sorting?_

_Do not worry about what I have said just yet, Mr. Potter, there are far too many meddling minds around this place. In any case, all will be explained to you in due time. As for your sorting, you are a special case and I wish to give __**you**__ the choice of which house you wish to be placed thing. Now think carefully on this, my boy. Though, might I add, I suggest you choose from either Slytherin or Gryffindor..._

_Then Gryffindor, _Harry thought with certainty, _As much as I would like to be in Slytherin with Will... My dad..._ Harry bit his lip.

_Fret not, young one. I understand and as such you will be..._

"Gryffindor!"

The Gryffindor table burst out in applause, the Weasley twins especially raucous, shouting "We got Potter! We got Potter!" at the top of their lungs while dancing a jig.

Harry smiled but then looked uncertainly at the Slytherin table, catching the cobalt gaze of his brother.

Knowing exactly what was on Harry's mind, Will smiled softly in response (getting many shocked gasps from the students around him in the process) and mouthed, "Welcome to Hogwarts."

Harry smiled brilliantly back at him.

R&R :) and no, I don't mean Rest and Relaxation :P


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: J.K. Rowling owns Harry Potter. I only wish I could say the same. Please don't sue me. Thank you.

Summary: Harry's the Boy-Who-Lived. William is his older brother, James is still alive and together the two try and protect Harry from the world. Even if they hate each others guts.

Featuring: Unspoiled!Harry, OverprotectiveBrother!William, OverprotectiveFather!James, OCs Alert and slash!

Chapter Summary: Events of first year as they would be with my little twists... Part 1. I was going to do the whole year but who know when I'd finish **that **so instead, I give you the half of the first Harry Potter book... Anything in the plot you may recognise was most likely an excerpt from **Harry Potter and the Philosopher's/Sorcerer's Stone**.

**A.N. Thank you to all those wonderful people who reviewed :D you light up my world and convinced me to update though I hadn't planned on doing so! And since this fic got the most reviews for a single chapter compared to my other fics (though Gaia's Children was a close second...), you guys got first priority when I felt like writing again :3 Thank you again for all your support and love and please don't kill me for taking so long lol.**

**ALSO: Please inform me of any discrepancies in the plot that you can see in my fanfiction... I often forget what I've already written and then contradict myself... and I usually miss them during editing too for some reason and only realise after I've posted... (and even then, it takes me forever to realise...)**

* * *

Still... **Untitled**.

Is this chapter 1 or 2? Hmm... Last chapter was a bit long for a prologue though...

-

Harry sweat-dropped at he watched Ron and Draco glare at each other, trying to make the other move away from the seat next to the emerald-eyed boy. Neither boy would back down however, nor move forward making Harry grimace at the thought of having to deal with a situation like this in every Potions class. Seconds ticked by and the two still hadn't budged and Harry vaguely wondered if he should maybe make the decision for them but decided against it when he considered the consequences. With a silent sigh, he turned back towards the blackboard, wishing the Professor would get here soon to sort it out.

Seriously! How old were these two?

"Malfoy..." Ron threatened angrily.

"Weasel," Draco sneered back.

"Harry, Draco, Ron," Neville said softly in greeting, as he suddenly returned from wherever he had gone, plopping himself down on the seat next to Harry. Ron and Draco gaped at him incredulously.

The brunette looked at them in confusion before a dawning and slightly apologetic expression appeared on his face as he abruptly realised why the other two were looking at him so, Harry grinning ever so slightly in the background, "Sorry guys but I'm not moving. I'm horrible at Potions and I'll need Harry to make sure I don't melt my cauldron or something. You can sit there though," he said amicably as he pointed to the seats on his right, "That's still kinda close by."

The boys made to argue however before they could do so, Professor Severus Snape strode inside, black cape billowing behind him. He made his way to the front, and looked at the last two still remaining standing boys with a raised eyebrow, "Is there a problem?" he said, velvet voice laced with ice.

Ron and Draco flushed red with the scrutiny, the red-haired boy trying to comment once more but this time was interrupted by the blonde who tugged the sputtering red-head by his wrist towards the table Neville had pointed at, practically forcing the other boy onto his seat before sitting down himself.

Severus Snape turned to face the rest of then, eyebrows raising slightly at the sight of the youngest Potter sitting in the front row. The man didn't comment on it though, choosing instead to ignore the emerald-eyed boy and his wide-eyed friend.

Snape, like Flitwick, started the class by taking the register, and like Flitwick, he paused at Harry's name, "Ah, yes," he said softly, "Harry Potter."

The older man gave Harry a scrutinizing look, one which the young boy just barely held, before Snape seemed to be satisfied with what he saw, and to the class's bafflement, went back to the role as if nothing had happened.

"You are here to learn the subtle science and exact art of potion-making," he began softly when he finished and, though he spoke in barely more than a whisper, they caught every word – like Professor McGonagall, Snape had the gift of keeping a class silent without effort, "As there is little foolish wand-waving here, many of you will hardly believe this is magic. I don't expect you will really understand the beauty of the soft simmering cauldron with its shimmering fumes, the delicate power of liquids that creep through human veins, bewildering the mind, ensnaring the senses... I can teach you how to bottle fame, brew glory, even stopper death – if you aren't as big as a bunch of dunderheads as I usually have to teach."

More silence followed this little speech. Harry and Neville exchanged looks ("Oh Merlin, I'm dooooooomed!" said the look on Neville's face). Hermione Granger was on the edge of her seat and looked desperate to start proving that she wasn't a dunderhead.

Cold black eyes scanned the room for a victim, "Weasley!"

Ron jumped as his name was suddenly called out, eyes widening and face slightly pale as he wondered what the hell he had done wrong.

"What is the difference between monkshood and wolfsbane?"

"Erm..." the red-head flushed in embarrassment, glancing to his side briefly when he caught Hermione's hand shoot up in his periphery vision, "I don't know, sir..."

The Slytherins in the room snickered to each other, though Draco had a decidedly blank look on his face. Snape's lips curled into a sneer, "For your information Weasley, they are the same plant, which also goes by the name of aconite. Clearly, the small task of opening a book before coming was completely beyond you. If you can't even answer a simple question like that, perhaps you would find something else to do instead of wasting my time."

By the time Snape had finished, Ron's face had drained of colour, fists clenched as he glared up at Professor. The Slytherins behind them had all but burst out in laughter, their shoulders shaking with mirth as the Head of Slytherin tormented the Gryffindor. Harry bit his lip lightly, looking over at Ron worriedly but thankfully the red-head seem to reign in his anger and did not reply. He knew what the Professor was doing was unfair but he also knew that if Ron reacted back in anger, things would only get far, far worse.

"Potter!"

Harry jumped, his facial expressions mirroring Ron's only moments before as he stared wide-eyed at the Professor in surprise.

"Where would you look if I told you to find me a bezoar, Potter?" Snape asked, staring down at him as he completely ignored the muggleborn desperately trying to get his attention. His eyes were black like James Potter's but they had none of the warmth and that tinge of mischievousness in its depths. Strangely though, as Harry stared back at the man, he was reminded of his brother Will.

Professor Snape looked at him in expectation.

"Erm..." Harry thought furiously when he realised a second later he was supposed to be answering a question, "I would find it... in a the stomach of a goat, sir."

Behind him, Harry could **feel** the Slytherins waiting for the moment the Professor would utterly humiliate him in front of the class in unveiled anticipation. The moment never came though, the Professor merely raised an eyebrow.

"And what, Potter, would I get if I added powdered root of asphodel to an infusion of wormwood?"

The class around him twittered silently around him in confusion but Harry ignored them, secretly pleased when he realised he must have answered correctly. Thankfully, he knew the answer to this question as well; his brother had offered to teach him Potions during the break as that was he only magic he could learn without a wand. Obviously, he had taken that offer eagerly, "A very powerful sleeping potion, sir. Called the Draught of Living Death."

The class watched them with bated breath and then...

"Correct," Snape suddenly said, "Five points to Gryffindor."

The whole class sat there in stunned silence.

Harry, too, looked up in surprise at the Professor. For him to give points to a Gryffindor... it was unheard of! And yet...

Snape sneered down at him at his look of surprise but, Harry realised, it held none of the derision and the sharp edge of the look he gave to Ron. To Harry, it seemed... as if he was smiling...?

"Well?" Snape suddenly barked, making the class jump as a whole, "Why aren't you all copying that down?"

The students immediately moved in action at that command, the rustling of papers and the scratching of quills soon prevalent in the cold dungeon classroom. Harry didn't move however as the Professor came to stand in front of him.

"Perhaps this class won't be a total failure," he said to Harry softly, "Though undoubtedly, you have your brother to thank for this as your father was and still is an incompetent buffoon," he paused as if waiting for a reaction from Harry but the teen said nothing as he silently remembered the far **less** nice things his father had said about the Professor and Remus' total exasperation at the relationship between the two, "Nonetheless, I expect to see no less than perfection from you Potter. **Don't** disappoint me."

Harry didn't reply; he merely stared back at the Potions Master, his eyes glinting with determination at that challenge. Snape smirked and nodded at him before sweeping away in a swirl of cloak to go sneer at some other Gryffindors.

"Harry...?" an uncertain voice piped up softly beside him.

Harry turned to see Neville look worriedly at him. He smiled back reassuringly, "Don't worry about it Nev, we can handle this. Just leave this to me."

The brunette gulped lightly but nodded back resolutely.

Harry smiled again and then turned to open his book.

Behind him, a bushy-haired muggleborn glared angrily at him.

-

What goes without saying is that Harry James Potter was born a natural flyer though no one knew that at that time.

Why you ask? Because another universal truth was that James Potter was a psychotic nut when it came to the safety of his youngest son.

Thus Harry never had a chance to fly.

On the other hand, it was also a known fact that Neville Longbottom was an absolute clutz who had an extraordinary amount of accidents even **with** both feet on the ground and thus, it was unsurprising to learn his decidedly wise grandmother never even let him **near** a broomstick.

Trying to gather tips from Draco Malfoy was like asking an elderly person for their life story and Harry and Neville just didn't have the patience to stick it out to the end, friend or not. They weren't trying to avoid muggle helicopters (though Harry was surprised Draco knew what they were at all); they merely wished to get off the ground without dying.

Ron Weasley was also of little help; his 'help' always turning into long anecdotes about the time he had borrowed his brother Charlie's broomstick and almost hit a glang-hider ("Hang-Glider," Harry corrected).

It was at the beginning of lunch when Ron started spluttering during one of these anecdotes.

Harry and Neville looked up, the two of who were talking about their upcoming Quidditch lesson (though it was more agonising over their untimely death, the former only better at hiding his nervousness than the latter), and stared at him in confusion. Ron didn't answer though; instead he raised his right hand and pointed.

Harry looked over his shoulder and beamed happily when he saw his brother come over to their table and drop himself down into the empty seat beside him. Will opened his mouth to greet his brother but was interrupted.

"Hey, you! You slimy Slytherin! Go back to your own table!" shouted some random spineless first-year Gryffindor, glancing around as he looked for acceptance in the eyes of his housemates. All he got, to his bafflement, was the slowly edging away motion of all the people around him. Will and Harry scowled at the boy, eyes flashing in anger. However, before they could tear the boy a new... hole, another anger-filled voice cut-in.

"You little slug! How dare you call my most wonderful of all wonders and my most beautiful of all beauties that?! You don't even have the right to slobber on the ground he walks you, you smelly rat! You apologise to the Adonis of this whole school... the whole universe before I show you exactly what they meant by a red-heads fury!" George Weasley shrieked indignantly at the naive first year, splattering the boy's face with stray spittle every so often, his twin only barely holding him back by the arms.

Will's eyebrow twitched imperceptibly. He was... grateful for the red-heads vigorous defence of him but at the same time... He sighed as he turned to his brother, trying desperately to tune out that exclamation and the laughing gazes turned in his direction. However it was a bit hard to reign the annoyance when the object of your gaze was also trying desperately to hold back his laughter. Will sighed, "Just laugh, Harry. It's not healthy to hold it in."

And he did. Harry so laughed uproariously, it brought a small smile to Will's face seeing his younger brother so happy, his fears about flying, those of which the small teen had fervently hidden away for the sake of his best friend, finally disappearing.

Too bad the fact the rest of the hall had also joined in.

It also goes without saying, the poor first-year walked around for the rest of his month with pig's ears and a snout...

-

Harry watched with a small smile as Draco awkwardly patted Neville on the back as he tried to comfort the nearly sobbing boy. They were standing in two rows on the grass field, Ron was on his right, Neville across him and then Draco on his right.

"Now, when I blow my whistle, you kick off from the ground, hard," said Madam Hooch, "Keep your brooms steady, rise a few feet and then come straight back down by leaning forwards slightly. On my whistle... three... two-"

But Neville, still nervous and very jumpy, pushed off hard before the whistle had even touched Madam Hooch's lips.

"Come back, boy!" she shouted, but Neville was rising straight up like a cork shot out of a bottle; twelve feet... twenty feet... and then without warning, shot forward like an arrow and disappeared somewhere around the castle.

Harry didn't take the time to pause and think as he grab his broomstick and kicked off hard; he only had his best friend's safety in mind. Vaguely he heard cries of "Stop!" from behind him but there was little they could do as Harry took off into the air.

Blood was pounding in his ears as he soared up higher and higher, faster and faster. Air rushed through his hair and his robes whipped out behind him and in a rush of fierce joy he realised for once he felt absolutely **free**.

This is easy, he thought to himself in slight wonderment, This is **bloody fantastic**!

A familiar scream ahead of him quickly pulled him out of his thoughts though. _Nev_... he thought as he leaned forward, pushing the broom to its limits as he attempted to catch up to his friend. It wobbled slightly beneath his fingers from the strain but Harry knew he couldn't slow down now. If he did, he'd never catch up in time.

Neville suddenly turned towards him. Harry could see his scared white face, eyes widened in horror as they looked down at the ground that was so very far away. He saw him gasp and, Harry's heart clenching in fear, watched him slip sideways of the broom and...

"Neville!"

And it was moments before Neville Longbottom hit the ground did Harry snatch him up from it's grasp. The momentum knocked Harry's balance askew, sending the two boys onto the grass with a loud "whump" but the short break in the fall was all that was needed to prevent any serious injuries.

They lay on the grass, still in shock, breathing heavily. Harry suddenly felt a slight change in the air and hastily flung his arm out. A small round object fell sky and landed in Harry's outstretched hand with a loud slap. _Nev's Remembrall_, he thought absent-mindedly as he recalled the object from this morning.

Beside him, Neville grinned widely at him, eyes shining gratefully, "Nice catch, Harry," he said softly.

Harry smiled back brightly.

"HARRY POTTER!"

Harry looked up. Professor McGonagall was running towards them.

And the rest, they say, is history.

-

"Come on Harry! Hurry!" Ron whispered fervently.

"Will's going to kill me", Harry whispered back morosely as the trio made their way down the corridor as silently as they could, "A Professor's going to catch us but more importantly, Will's going to kill me."

"I think you've got your priorities a little skewed," Neville looked at Harry in amusement as they huddled behind Ron who was acting as bait er... I mean, leading the way as he peaked around the corner cautiously for any signs of a Professor, "And I doubt your brother would ever hurt a single hair on your precious little head."

"He doesn't need to touch my hair to kill me," Harry scowled, ignoring Neville as he rolled his eyes, "Why the hell am I doing this again?"

"Because," Ron suddenly spun around, fist raised and eyes blazing with energy, "We've been here a whole week and we've yet to do any exploring. Did you know the twins discovered some hidden passageway in **their** first week?!"

Harry looked at him drily, "I don't see what that has anything to do with us being out of the dormitory in the middle of the night. We can explore perfectly well in the middle of the **day**," he dead-panned.

"I must say, I absolutely agree with him."

The three Gryffindors whirled around in surprise at the new voice, hearts thumping with fear.

"Hey, it's only Malfoy," Ron huffed, rolling his eyes.

Draco scowled, "And what the hell is **that** supposed to mean?"

"I mean-"

"Woah! Stop!" Harry interrupted, trying not to shout, "This is not the time for the two of you to have a lover's quarrel," he nonchalantly waved him off as they opened their mouths to argue, "Let's just say we've been there, done that and head back to our dorm's where there is a nice, warm bed waiting for us?" he said, turning to look at each of them hopefully.

Neville grinned, "Geez, Harry. What happened to that famous Potter spirit of adventure?"

Harry stared at him as if he were crazy, "I'd have to say who are you, and what have you done with Neville. Why the hell are you so eager to go gallivanting in the middle of the night?" he hissed angrily as if his best friend had just betrayed.

Neville just grinned wider, "Let's just say after that near-death experience on a broomstick, I've entered that phase where little-to-nothing will scare me any more. Don't worry, I'm sure it'll wear off sooner or later but for now, I'd like to use what I have now for the greater good."

Harry glared at him darkly, "See if I ever save you ever again, Longbottom," he muttered.

Draco rolled his eyes, "Well if you ladies are done arguing, if you'd excuse me but I'm in the middle of searching for the Prefect's bathroom. Either help me or get lost. Preferably, far away from me."

Ron raised an eyebrow at him, "Prefect's **bathroom**? If anyone's a girl here, Malfoy, I believe it's **you**. Anyway, be my guest, go away now," he said, making small shooing gestures with his hands and ignoring the glare sent his way as a result, "**We're** going to find the kitchens. That okay guys? I'm feeling a bit hungry..."

"When are you ever not...?"

"Don't tell me we're out here to satisfy your stomach Ron... I thought we were going to find something interesting...?"

"Actually, I already know how to get into the kitchens and the Prefect's bathroom..."

Ron, Neville and Draco turned and looked at Harry in surprise. Harry shrugged, "Why are you surprised? My dad **did** come to Hogwarts you know... Plus my brother's here too..."

Draco practically pouted, "My father came to Hogwarts too but he never mentioned any of this to me..."

Ron and Neville nodded in agreement, the red-head doing so quite sullenly.

Harry just shrugged again, "Well, my dad and his friends were the Marauders so..." he quickly tapered off as he realised this train of thought was **less** likely to get them back to bed.

"The who?" the other three looked at him in confusion.

"Doesn't matter," Harry said, trying to seem as non-committal as he could. Thankfully, it seemed to work as they seemed to lose interest, "So where are we going to go?"

None of them got a chance to reply however as a very terrifying voice spoke up not to far from them.

"Did you hear something, my sweet? Students out of bed perhaps?"

The four boys stared at each other, minds racing and hearts thumping; it was Filch!

"They're in here somewhere," they heard him mutter, "I can **smell** them."

"This way!" Harry mouthed to the others and, petrified, they began to creep down a long gallery full of suits of armour. They could hear Filch getting nearer. Neville suddenly let out a frightened squeak – he's temporary bout of courage obviously running out of him – and broke into a run. The extraordinary Longbottom grace kicked in and he tripped, grabbing Ron on his way down and knocked the both of them right into a suit of armour.

The clanging and crashing were enough to wake the whole castle.

"RUN!" Harry yelped and the four of them sprinted down the gallery, not looking back to see whether Filch was following as they swung around the doorpost and galloped down one corridor after another, Harry blindly leading them. They ripped through a tapestry and found themselves in a hidden passageway Harry vaguely remembered Sirius had mentioned once. They hurtled along it and came out near their Charms classroom.

"I think we've lost him," Harry panted, leaning against the cold wall and wiping his forehead. Neville was bent double beside him, wheezing and spluttering.

"We've got to get back to our dorms," Ron said, "quickly as possible."

"As if we didn't come to that conclusion ourselves, Weasley," Draco sneered but it wasn't with the usual venom as he breathed loudly.

Ron ignored him. His eyes narrowed as his ears picked up something the other hadn't. Harry looked at him strangely, "What-?"

Ron waved his hand urgently for him to get quiet. And then they all heard it.

A doorknob rattled loudly and the suddenly, something came shooting out of a classroom in front them. It was Peeves. He caught sight of them and gave a squeal of delight.

"Spirit of adventure, he says. For the greater good, he says," Harry grumbled, "Bollocks."

"STUDENTS OUT OF BED!" Peeves bellowed, "STUDENTS OUT OF BED IN THE CHARMS CORRIDOR!"

Ducking under the poltergeist, they ran for their lives, right to the end of the corridor where they slammed into a door.

And it was locked.

"This is it!" Harry moaned, as they pushed helplessly at the door, "We're done for! They're going to catch us and Will's going to kill me and dad will lock me up and I'd never see the light of day again! Curse you Longbottom! Friendship over!"

Neville snorted.

They could hear footsteps, Filch running as fast as he could towards Peeves' shouts.

"Oh, move over," Draco snarled, pulling out his wand. He tapped the lock and whispered, "_Alohomora!_"

The lock clicked and the door swung open; they piled through it, shut it quickly and pressed their ears against it listening.

"Which way did they go, Peeves?" Filch was saying, "Quick, tell me."

"Say, 'please'."

"Don't mess me about, Peeves, now **where did they go**?"

"Shan't say nothing if you don't say please," said Peeves in his annoying sing-song voice.

"All right... **please**."

"NOTHING! Ha haaa! Told you I wouldn't say nothing if you didn't say please! Ha ha! Haaaaa!" And they heard the sound of Peeves whooshing away and Filch cursing in rage.

"He thinks this door is locked," Harry whispered, "I think we'll be okay... get off, Longbottom! Our friendships' over, remember?" he hissed. Neville had been tugging on the sleeve of Harry's robe for the last minute, "Oh for the love of... **What!?**"

Harry turned around and saw, quite clearly, what.

They were in the forbidden corridor.

And they were staring straight into the eyes of a monstrous dog...

-

The large doors leading into the Great Hall flung open, hitting the wall with a loud resounding bang. The occupants of the Great Hall, who were just settling in for lunch, all looked up as one, wondering what was going on. As the dust cleared, a solitary figure could be seen striding purposefully forward, eyes blazing brightly. Messy, dark hair ruffled in the wind.

James Potter.

"Albus!" the man called out dramatically, "I demand to have a word with you!"

Albus Dumbledore stood up to address him, a twinkle in his eye, "What can I do for you, James?"

Harry banged his head on the table knowing exactly why his dad was here. The other Gryffindors around him looked at him curiously while he brother merely patted him solemnly on his shoulder, though Harry could see very clearly the grin that was tugging at the corner of his lips.

"What is this meaning of **this**?!" James shouted, hand raising a piece of parchment in the air for all to see.

Albus raised an amused eyebrow in his direction, "Why, I do believe it must be that letter I sent you."

"Exactly," James grouched loudly, "Now, tell me why I'm being asked to send Harry a broom so he can join the Gryffindor Quidditch team."

The Great Hall gasped as one. Obviously, this little bit of information was meant to be secret.

"Is there a problem with that?" Dumbledore mused.

"Is there a problem...?!" James gasped, staring at the Headmaster as if he were insane (though, to be fair, he already thought Albus was insane anyway and so did most of the world and thus, that description wasn't that much of a stretch), "**Is there a problem?!** Of course there is a problem! Do you know how **dangerous** Quidditch is?! What if something happened to my little baby?! What will you do then, Albus?"

Harry groaned loudly as the Great Hall burst out in giggles. Will merely stopped his little brother rattling his brains onto the table and poured him a glass of pumpkin juice.

"Now, now, James," Dumbledore condescended his former student with a grandfatherly look, "I don't believe you are being reasonable. Weren't you once on the Quidditch team yourself?"

"That's different!" James argued.

"And how is that different?" Minerva McGonagall suddenly cut in, standing up as she did so, "Might I also remind you, Quidditch also wasn't the most dangerous thing you got into in your youth. Your son is going to play Quidditch and there is nothing you can do to stop him," she said, staring at him sternly.

"But, Minnie..." James whined.

This time the Great Hall gaped as one at the ludicrous way James Potter addressed the transfiguration Professor. One thought ran through their minds: OMG! WTF?!

Minerva McGonagall didn't explode as they would she would though; she merely pursed her lips, "James," she began bleakly, "Gryffindor hasn't won the Quidditch cup for eight years now. In our last game, we were absolutely thrashed by the Slytherin team as we had no seeker."

It was then that the elder Potter caught the look on Severus Snape's face; that slimy, smug bastard.

James' resolve was weakening.

Just as he was going to tear the grease ball a new one, dread filled him as a new voice entered the room.

"James..." the voice called out threateningly from behind him.

James Potter froze, turning around very slowly, "Ahahaha..." he laughed nervously, "Heya, Moony... When did you get here?"

A very angry Remus Lupin stepped forward. He didn't answer his friend, instead opting to grab the taller male's ear and tugging... **hard**.

"Ow, ow, ow! Hey! Ow! Moony, quit it!"

"I'm sorry for the interruption, Professors," Remus dead-panned, "Please ignore this buffoon. I'll deal with him personally," James reeeeeeally didn't like the sound of **that**... "Oh and Harry? Your new broom should arrive in about two days. Good day, everyone," and with that, he dragged the loudly protesting James Potter out the Great Hall.

"Well," Albus Dumbledore twinkled brightly at everyone, "It was nice of those boys to visit, wasn't it Minerva?"

Minerva McGonagall pinched the bridge of her nose and prayed for some sanity.

It also didn't help that the Weasley twins were staring at the door with hero-worshipping eyes.

* * *

Final A.N.: Ah... it wasn't as good as the first chapter I know but hopefully you guys will still love it :) read and review and tell me what you think! I would really like to know...

Unedited version: 26 May '08

**Oh! And BTW, would anyone be interested in seeing a chapter solely dedicated to Will and his friends (and their first year at Hogwarts? Like how they became friends and all...)?**


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